He's Not Lost
by strawnilla
Summary: Tasuku disappeared from the world, leaving Gao distressed. But then the Buddy Police officer comes back to him in the dead of night... and he's a completely changed boy.
1. Chapter 1

one of the purposes of publishing this one early is to announce that im changing my penname from OneShotMistress to strawnilla

the other is bc i really want people to (suffer) enjoy reading this

* * *

Tasuku is missing.

And he's left to worry. He doesn't think he should be but he is. His friends understand. Drum understands, Baku and Kuguru understands, even Tetsuya, Jin and basically everyone else understands. They tell him it's okay to worry over it. It's normal, because Tasuku's his rival.

It's been twelve weeks.

It didn't become just a case for the Buddy Police, it had to be extended to the actual police too—one where large search groups were funded, because Tasuku is still a kid. The media was in an uproar from day one and it still is. Nobody has caught sight of him. Nobody has seen a clue of him. Search parties came back empty-handed and disappointed. Not even tracking Tasuku's Star Pulsar proved to be of any help—it's like he disappeared from the world.

Everyone wants to know where the boy wonder, Tasuku Ryuenji, and his Buddy Jackknife Dragon are. Everybody asks the same questions, nobody has the same answer. Everything is varied and speculations run wild. Conspiracies float around like birds searching for a place to sleep. The pressure proved to be too much when the Buddy Police finally disclosed important information to the public.

Tasuku had gone missing before.

It was for a couple of hours, they said. He was on a mission before his signal disappeared entirely. When he came back by his own efforts, he claimed to have been sent to the Dragon World to battle another dragon. They decided the same thing happened… only this time, Tasuku hasn't come back.

More search parties were founded, consisting of volunteer Buddy monsters. Drum joined and the parties scavenged the multiple worlds high and low. And every time, they came back with no results; not even a lead.

Gao is restless.

Three months, it's been three months. The media updates have slowed down and Gao resorts to Drum and Asmodai for news. Each time he asks, he gets a shake of the head for an answer. It's killing him from the inside. It's been so long people are beginning to fear the worst. He doesn't want to buy it. Miracles can happen, when you need them the most and when you least expect them to.

He tries to not worry over it, he tries to eat and sleep but it's hard. It's hard when there's no final answer to an important question. The many 'what if's wrap him like a rough and hard blanket. He doesn't know how much longer he can take it before he drops into the scene himself, with or without permission from the higher-ups. He knows Drum will help him, and so will his many friends. He knows they'll be more than willing to help him.

So why isn't he?

Gao knows that in usual conditions, he would have gone after the missing boy at once. Drum must have noticed the unusual, and if Drum noticed then Kuguru and Baku must've noticed. Why isn't he doing something? The authority can't stop him and he's got his friends to support him, why isn't he out there, looking for Tasuku too?

He wishes he has an answer but as it is, answers are the hardest things to find right now. Nobody can find it, the solution to a complex puzzle created by fate. He's stuck here and the boy wonder is somewhere out there, God knows where.

Fate works in weird ways. It never tells you things directly, and more often than not fate reveals the truth to you when things are a little too late.

He is too late.

Gao had been walking, a casual walk from the convenience store back to his house. Drum isn't with him because the dragon is watching over the house with Hanako and Granny. And he thinks it might not be a good idea to have left his Buddy at home when he gets the feeling that he's being watched.

It's not paranoia, he hopes, because if it is he'd be really embarrassed with himself. But he also hopes it _is_ paranoia because he doesn't think anybody following a kid in the dead of night has good intentions. He really should've brought Drum with him. Come on man, can't you sense when your Buddy's in danger?

He doesn't think he should be worried for himself because he's got moves of his own, he'd be more than glad to take down whoever's stalking him. But in the same time, what if it's not enough? What if there are more than three and all of them are grown strong men? He probably can handle it, no biggie, but like always, fate works in weird ways and you can never be certain of what's going to happen.

Like, the whisper of his name in the wind, maybe.

The redhead stops dead in his tracks. That wasn't his imagination, he supposes. But some factors bother him. The 'hearing his name in the wind' part? Yeah, he can handle that. The 'whoa, that sounded like Tasuku' thought he had? No.

He takes in his surroundings. He's not stupid enough to take a shortcut through an ominous alley and it's not like he's in a hurry in the first place so he's walking down the side of the road in the neighbourhood where the chances of a car running into him are drastically low. He can't shake the bad feeling though, and nothing's more accurate than your own gut feeling.

He decides to wait. He wants to get whatever this is over with; it's no good dragging himself home with something bad etching at the edge of his mind. He wouldn't want to worry Drum, Hanako and Grandma.

"_Gao…"_

His hands clench into fists. He turns around, glaring into the darkness that's not lit by a street lamp. He sees it—a pair of red eyes staring right back into his golden ones. His breath catches in his throat. He can feel his heartbeat increase and the energy leaving his body. Can the dark play illusions on him? He's not sure.

It's scary, he admits it. It's scary when two wide red eyes stare at him, not even blinking. He thinks about running but he's not sure to where. Away? Closer? He's not sure he can anyway, because his whole body feels paralyzed.

"Tasuku…?" he manages to get out, his voice cracking midway. He didn't expect it to but it did. Not like he cares in the first place when his attention is solely on the figure hiding in the shadows. Something curls in his stomach and he's not sure what to make of it. Fear? Excitement? Terror? Anticipation? This emotion he feels, it can be one out of a hundred.

A hand on the wall reaches out from behind the veil of black. The hand looks dirty and bruised and weakly it seems to be supporting the figure's weight as the figure makes way towards him. Instinct makes Gao take a step back.

But then he sees it. Blue hair peeks through and a Buddy Police uniform makes an appearance. There are holes here and there, torn fabric and dark dry splotches that Gao's not sure what to make of. There's dirt on his face and a fresh cut on his left ankle, not dripping with blood but with a liquid that's a far darker shade instead, almost pitch black.

The sight of Tasuku's condition sets his heart to break.

Gao runs towards him, catching the blue haired boy by the shoulders just as his knees buckle underneath his weight. "Tasuku! Hey Tasuku, can you hear me?!" his voice breaks, really breaks this time, and he can feel his eyes watering. The redhead sets Tasuku on the ground gently, who coughs. But his red eyes are still wide—as if he had seen the face of Lucifer himself. Gao shakes him lightly when he doesn't respond, the dread and worry growing by the second. The colour drains from his face but he reassures himself, or tries to, by rationalizing that he's still breathing. Tasuku's still breathing and alive, so he has to be okay. Tasuku is okay.

He finally gets some reaction from the blue haired boy, but it's not quite the reaction he expects to get. Tasuku's hand reaches up, cupping his face and he feels the rough fingers on his cheek, causing him to almost flinch away. "Tasuku…?" he tests slowly, and he sees a flicker of recognition in those red eyes. But the red disappears as Tasuku shuts his eyes tight and a painful groan escapes him.

Tasuku turns to the side a little, his mouth opening wide in another strangled scream and the hand that had been holding Gao's face moves towards his blue hair and pulling. He's pulling his hair so hard Gao fears he'd pull a handful off but it doesn't happen.

Gao watches worriedly, feeling completely useless at the fact that he can't help him. What can he do? What is there to do? How can he lessen the pain? There must be a way for him to help, damn it! Tasuku disappears for who knows how long and comes back to him like _this?_ What kind of prank is this?! It's not funny, it's damned not funny.

"Tasuku, talk to me, man...!"

"G-Get away, Gao," Tasuku rasps weakly. "Get a-away from m-me…"

All the worry he has been feeling up until now melts into bewilderment. Somewhere deep inside him he can feel a tiny spark of anger flaring up too. Leave him? When he's like this?

"Forget it. You need help!"

"I _don't_!" Tasuku shouts. He pushes himself up on his elbows and attempts to crawl, but his body is too tired to even commit that. He stumbles back to the ground without much progress in his escape, moreover when Gao holds him back by his shoulders.

"Do you even realize the condition you're in?! Come on, I'm taking you home. We're fixing you up and you're not leaving until I have a say whether or not you're better!" Gao says and from the tone of his voice there's no arguing with him. His words are firm and absolute; he sees no reason for Tasuku to go against him.

Tonight has been one unexpected event after another. And apparently, the night still has much in store for him.

When Gao tries to get the other to stand, he's taken by surprise as Tasuku throws himself onto him with his hands curling around his neck. The tackle causes Gao to lose his balance and the both of them to crash to the ground with a loud thud. But Gao can barely process the pain in his head and back when he can hardly take a _breath_.

Tasuku is strangling him.

He tries to get words out, tries to pry away the hands trapping him just for the sake of air. But Tasuku, despite looking like he was going to die in seconds earlier, has him under a strong grip and he can't fight him. He's losing breath and the last thing he's going to see is Tasuku's grimace and wild insane eyes.

Just as he feels himself at his limit, the fingers around his neck loosen and Gao gasps for air, coughing midway. He turns his head when he feels Tasuku's weight leave his body, and the blue haired boy is staring at him with frightened eyes.

"G-Gao…" his voice shakes. He tries to reach out to Gao with one trembling hand but immediately retracts it. "I-I'm sorry, I'm really sorry but p-please, you need to leave me alone. I… I don't want you hurt."

Gao coughs again. He shakes his head. "Not an option," he says, though it sounds hoarse. He lets another cough through, trying to clear his throat. "I want to help you. And to damn if you won't let me. You were missing for three months man, and that's not exactly a short time!"

Tasuku gasps. "T-Three months…? Are you sure?"

Gao narrows his eyes. "What happened to you?" his face falls. He can feel the sting in his nose again. "You disappeared so suddenly and nothing anybody did could find a trace of you. People were… _saying_ things. And I was beginning to believe them—until tonight."

Tasuku flinches. "J-Just pretend this never happened. Just p-pretend you never saw me."

"Saw you? You were the one who followed me, weren't you? You even called out to me!"

"P-Please Gao, just forget this. You'll end up h-hurt…"

"I told you, I want to hel—!"

Anger flashes by Tasuku's eyes. "You _can't_, Gao! You _can't_ help me! No matter what you say or do, I can't be saved at all…" his voice takes a melancholic turn by the end of his sentence. He diverts his face away from Gao, breaking their eye contact, and says in a desperate plea, "I'm b-begging you Gao, run away from me while you still can…"

As the expected answer, Gao shakes his head. His hands clench into fists and he brings himself closer to Tasuku, promptly ignoring the fact that the other tried to scoot away. "Come on man, whatever's going on I'll see it to the end with you. We're friends, aren't we?"

"No, y-you don't understand…" Tasuku spares him a glance and there are tears in his red eyes. He dares to reach out again, gently leaving featherlike touches on Gao's skin. "T-There's so much you don't k-know."

Gao decides to hold Tasuku's hand, the one that's touching him. He has something on the tip of his tongue, words that are ready to scramble out, words of comfort and promises when Tasuku leans in close. He's taken aback by the sudden invasion of privacy but quickly recomposes himself. He really doesn't understand what's going on anymore.

"Tasuku…?"

"Gao…" he breathes, still coming in close. Their eyes are locked together, gold meeting red, and Tasuku has his eyes half-lidded. Gao's instincts are telling him to run but he's ignoring all the warning bells. Tasuku wouldn't harm him again, right?

That is, until he saw the fangs.

One pair of canines, sharp and long, is protruding from inside Tasuku's mouth. They, without a doubt, remind Gao of the creatures that are weak against the sunlight, the creatures that drink blood, the creatures that are a myth—the creatures that Tasuku has now become one of.

"Tasuku?!" he gasps, terror quaking through this body. He tries to scramble away but somehow Tasuku has secured a grip on him again without him realizing, this time on his wrists. His legs are rendered useless for the second time that night as Tasuku sits on top of them. With the one hand that's not holding his wrists up, Tasuku tilts his head to the side, earning him a much clearer access of Gao's neck as he licks his lips.

He squirms, pulls and pushes but all of the methods prove useless especially when Tasuku lays him down on his back. He sees Tasuku baring his fangs in a wide grin, the wild glint in his eyes from earlier returning. "I've longed to have a taste of your blood, Gao," he chuckles. "I've waited for so long…"

Panic sets in and his struggles for escape multiply. But the Tasuku on top of him, the Tasuku he doesn't recognize, doesn't even budge. Instead, he looks amused, like a cat playing with a dead bird.

The blue haired boy leans down, whispering into Gao's ear with a malicious smile, "You can't ever escape from me."


	2. Chapter 2

(starts doing a funny dance) hell yeaaaaa i finally did it! it's completed! i finished it! thats amazing!

dang i hope y'all will like this

* * *

The stars fly past, blurred.

"_H-Hey, kid! Can you hear me?!"_

He barely makes out the head of a dragon.

"_Come on kid, don't you dare go this early in your life!"_

A white ceiling is moving, fast.

He knows he's moving, he can feel it, but _how_ isn't quite registering in his mind. There's something soft under him, that's for sure, and he hears the distant echo of squeaking wheels overlapped with voices talking that sound muffled.

His brain is clouded and none of his limbs move to his will. He's grounded to whatever thing he's on, under the mercy of whoever these people are. The tiredness comes back to him like a gentle wave. He decides he doesn't have the strength to fight and he lets himself be pulled into a world of black.

"_Gao!"_

* * *

The next time he opens his eyes, the white ceiling greets him again. Except this time, they're not moving.

He grumbles; his muscles are sore and tired and even though he's awake he can feel the reins of sleep on him again, pulling him back into slumber. This time he fights, he fights because he wants to know what exactly happened to him and where he is.

It doesn't take him long to realize, to be honest. He's smelt this same odour when he was younger, the melancholic memory making way into his exhausted mind. The word takes some time but eventually it forms in his head—hospital. He's in the hospital.

He groans painfully. There's a throbbing on his neck, like a knife is stuck in there. Instinctively his hand reaches up, holding the hurting spot. He finds that he's not touching his skin, but a rough cloth. Surprised, he discovers that his neck is wrapped with the stuff.

The door opens. At first he sees nobody, but then he realizes he doesn't see anyone because the said person who entered is too short for him to see properly.

It's Drum.

The dragon doesn't notice anything but when his eyes lock with Gao's, it's the moment he shouts in surprise. "Gao! Gao! You're awake!" Drum comes running up beside him, the widest of dragon grins on his face and giant tears in his eyes. "Oh man, I can hardly believe my eyes!"

Gao couldn't help a chuckle. But his neck is still hurting, badly. He wants to get out of this bed. He wants to get out of here and… and…

What _does_ he want to do?

The first image that comes to mind is a boy with blue hair and red eyes. The second is the fangs. A tremble quakes his body. He remembers. He remembers everything that happened. How he hissed in pain when the fangs penetrated his skin, how the feral glint never left the red eyes and how helpless he was as the beast above him drank away, whispering sweet lyrics and promises in between licks.

Gao gulped and bit his lip at the memory. His hands shake—something that doesn't go unnoticed by Drum. The dragon's happy smile immediately turns into a frown of worry. "Hey kid, are you okay…? What happened to you? When I found you, there was… there was blood everywhere. I shouldn't have let you go alone, should I? Urgh, I'm so stupid, I can't even protect my Buddy when he needs me most…!" the dragon rambles on without pause, the tears flowing down his cheeks evident.

The boy slowly reaches out, placing a hand on Drum's head. "Hey, hey Drum, listen to me man. It wasn't your fault. I'm… I'm fine. I'm okay now, aren't I?" he says but Drum is still crying.

The dragon wipes away some tears. "But… But…" he hiccups. "You really had us worried, okay?!" Drum says, still wiping more of his tears that are falling. "Your mom even flew back from America!"

"Mom is here?" Gao says, only now realizing how raspy his voice sounds like. But it almost doesn't matter to him because his _mom_ is here? How did she fly from America so quickly? That's like halfway across the world.

Drum looks like he had some sense knocked into him. "Yeah, and I really should find her to tell her the good news!" the dragon says with enthusiasm, traces of crying almost gone. "I'm going right now!" with that exclamation he scurries off to the door before Gao can stop him.

The boy is left on his bed, confused with his jaw dropped. He doesn't understand. Why did his mom have to come back just for passing out in the streets, and so quickly at that? It's barely been a day since he passed out, he thinks. Is he really that hurt?

He winces. Of course he's hurt. He had… a vampire drink his blood. A vampire named Tasuku, nonetheless.

He's not let to dwell on the thought for long. Apparently his mom—and family—must've been close because footsteps approach his room and the doors slide open to reveal the entire household entering with elated and surprised expressions on their faces. Drum is almost squished in between their legs.

Hanako runs up to him and gives him a tight hug around the neck and he winces. She's crying but she's also grinning and he supposes she's really happy to see him so he doesn't have the heart to tell her to let go.

"Gao Mikado, you had us worried sick!" his mom, Suzumi, says as she gives him a tight hug too, squishing Hanako in between them.

"G-Good to see you too, mom…" Gao tries to speak but he finds it difficult. Not only that, he's struggling to breathe now too. "U-Uh, c-can you guys l-let go? C-Can't breathe h-here…!"

They back away and he takes deep breaths, grateful for the space. He doesn't know why, but it felt… wrong, to be that close to them. Which is weird, he's never had any problems with his family hugging him before. Everything is so weird now. He still feels like he wants to get out of this bed and run. He just can't tell to where.

His mother caresses his cheek, his father standing behind her and Hanako clinging onto him with teary eyes. His grandma stands by Hanako, a hand on the child's head, looking relieved and pleased. "Gao, please, tell me what happened to you." Suzumi looks concerned, something he's not surprised by.

What he's surprised by is his inability to explain the truth. He opens his mouth, tries to speak, tries to tell them what happened—about Tasuku, about the fangs, about the words the vampire had whispered to him—but he can't. He can't.

His family sees the distress in his face and they don't question him anymore. His mom pulls him into another hug and his dad pats him on the shoulder. Hanako scrambles for another hug too; apparently she's relieved she wasn't going to lose another brother.

He understands how that feels. He wouldn't want to lose her either.

Drum comes next to him on the other side of his bed, looking anxious and worried. He sniffs. "I'm so sorry, kid."

Gao chuckles. He looks at Drum softly. "I told you, it's not your fault…"

But whose fault was it really? Him, for going out alone at night? Or Tasuku, the one who attacked him? But… was it really Tasuku's fault? What happened to him when he was missing? Where has he gone to now? Gao wants to know. He needs to know.

"Police Commissioner Kisaragi would want to speak with you once he knows you're awake," his mom informs. "He has some questions for you."

Gao looks at her incredulously. "Zanya's dad…? What kind of questions?"

"Well," his dad starts, "he says he believes you're the first 'victim' to a series of killings around the city…" he can see the solemn look his dad is giving him. "But he's not 100% sure. I think he just wants to confirm things first, since it's been one week you've went into a coma."

Gao feels his heart jump. He gulps. A series of killings…? Coma…? That explains why his mom is here.

Everything after that feels like a blur. The doctor comes, ushers his family out for a moment and checks on him with a bunch of nurses. They even take off the bandages and when he looks into the mirror, he see two puncture holes at the side of his neck. Fang bites. He gulps again. They look deep… and they're itchy too, like any other wound he's ever gotten. He catches himself scratching without meaning to. He wills himself to stop it.

The doctor tells him and his family that he seems stable for now, but they'll keep him under the monitor as a precaution. His neck is all wrapped up again, as if trying to hide away his big secret. His family lingers in the hospital room until visiting hours are over and when he's all alone… he finds himself unbelievably relieved.

But his peace is short-lived when his fingers twitch and he groans. His neck stings out of the blue and he holds it, trying to get the pain to go away. The pain grows stronger and he grits his teeth to endure it. He wants to scream, to let it out, but even his voice is missing, gone. He chokes, coughs and hacks and he can't seem to make it stop.

He grips the sheets of his bed and it's like he's trying to cough out his lungs. His throat feels raw, dry, and his neck stings even more. What is happening? What's going on? This hurts too much. It hurts!

Gao swings his legs over the bed and stands. He wobbles for a moment or two, and grips onto the bedside table for stability with one hand. The other is gripping his throat tightly. He tries to speak again, but all he hears are his raspy breaths.

He doesn't know what he should do. His hands are shaking too much for him to open the sealed bottle of water.

That's when he notices a dark figure standing by his window. The pain lessens then, fades away into oblivion as the dark figure stretches out a hand to open the window.

Gao can't tell what he's more surprised about. The pain decreasing, or the fact that he's pretty sure his room is at a high floor of the hospital building—or that it's Tasuku that's climbing in.

By the time that Tasuku's complete inside, the pain is gone—like it never happened, and Gao is left to stare in awe and surprise. At the back of his mind, he barely registers that he feels relieved at the sight of Tasuku in his hospital room.

Tasuku isn't wearing his tattered Buddy Police uniform anymore. He has a navy blue hoodie that's at least one size too big for him, black pants, and worn out shoes. Though Tasuku isn't looking at him, Gao can tell that there's a pained expression on the red-eyed boy's face.

He doesn't want Tasuku to have that kind of look on his face.

Gao takes a step towards him, an arm outstretched and voice hoarse once more as he calls out the other's name. "Tasuku…?"

But Tasuku immediately steps back, closer to the window, as if he's ready to flee at any moment. "Don't, Gao. I've… I've hurt you enough."

Gao pulls back his hand, feeling something wrench in his chest at the rejection. They stand in silence, the sun disappearing behind the horizon as time ticks by. Gao wants to say something, anything, but his mouth is clamped shut, even though he has so much to ask.

It feels like forever before he hears the rustling of clothes and Tasuku is turning to look at him.

Something in his chest lifts.

"I… I'm sorry… about the other night..." Tasuku says, looking concerned. "I tried to control myself, but I…"

"It wasn't your fault, Tasuku. You tried and that's—"

"But I could've prevented it, Gao!" Tasuku looks down. "I could've stopped all of this from happening… I could've…"

Gao steels his resolve then. He makes his way towards Tasuku, wrapping his arms around the older boy, squeezing tight with no intention of letting go. Tasuku immediately freezes up upon contact, body stiff with the surprise. He squirms, trying to pull away. Gao doesn't let him.

"It's all in the past, alright?" Gao says. "Whatever it is that happened, all we can do now is to fix it."

Tasuku stops resisting. Just as Gao thinks everything is okay for now, Tasuku holds him by the shoulders with shaky hands and pushes him away.

There's an alarmed look in his red eyes, his face is bright red, and his fangs are protruding out of his closed mouth. He tries to say something, but no words come out. In the end, silence is all there is between them, with Tasuku still looking worried and Gao still looking determined.

At last Tasuku finds the strength to say what he wanted to say. "Gao, I know you mean well, but I can't let you risk yourself for me. Not when I…" his eyebrows furrow again as he trails off. Gao is about to interrupt, but Tasuku doesn't let him. "The point is, I've done something to you that night, and it's unforgivable. I can't let myself be near you any longer."

Tasuku lets him go, turning away towards the window, but Gao latches onto his wrist. He's not letting him disappear again. "You sucked some of my blood, so what? That doesn't mean I—"

"That isn't it."

"Then what is it?!"

"You wouldn't understand!"

"Because you wouldn't let me understand!"

"I didn't _just _suck your blood, Gao!" Tasuku says, exasperated and at his limit. He looks like he's about to cry. He takes a deep breath, and says, "I marked you!"

"You… what?"

"My instincts went wild, I lost control of myself, and I… I marked you, Gao. With those bites on your neck." Tasuku says, his voice trembling and going soft. "I claimed you as mine."

Gao's mouth is agape, not entirely sure what to say. He doesn't realize the grip he has on Tasuku's wrist has loosened as he tries to process what he's been told. "What… what do you mean? Claim me…?"

Tasuku isn't looking at him. His fists are clenched and his shoulders are hunched up. "It… It means that you're mine now."

"Like… a slave?" _A vampire's slave?_ is what Gao wanted to say, but he's not entirely sure if Tasuku would appreciate being called a vampire just yet.

"_No, _God, heavens no." Tasuku looks at him, alarmed. His face is even redder too. "It's… something else." He brings up his other hand, trying to cover how red he is. Gao finds that he likes the sight of a blushing Tasuku. He realizes that Tasuku isn't trying to leave either. That's good, right?

Gao gives what Tasuku said a thought for a while. "Well, if you claimed me as yours… that means I'm connected to you?"

Tasuku nods. "Yeah. That's why you were… in pain earlier. That was my fault. I… hurt you again. I'm sorry."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because they were touching you!" As soon as he says this, Tasuku looks alarmed again, and he quickly clamps his mouth shut.

"But they were my family. And the hospital staff."

"I _know_." Tasuku looks exasperated now. His hand moves up his sky blue hair, pulling it. Gao thinks that's a bad habit that Tasuku should stop. "But I can't control how I feel, Gao—especially now that I'm like _this_. That's why I need to stay far away from you."

"How you feel?" Gao echoes, and suddenly, everything slowly connects in his mind. "Tasuku, are you saying that you… like me?"

Tasuku's blush is up to his ears now, but he nods nonetheless.

"Is that why you came looking for me the first night you were back?"

"Yes…"

Gao's heart soars into the sky. He can't stop the grin from his face and he laughs. "This feels like a dream."

Tasuku blinks. "Why?"

Gao smiles softly. "Because I like you too."

Instead of blushing like Gao was expecting him to, Tasuku frowns. "No, you don't."

"What?"

"You don't like me. You only _think_ that you do because of the stupid vampire marking ritual I did to you." Tasuku finally pulls Gao's fingers off of his wrist and walks towards the window. The sky is dark now. The sun is completely gone. The only light on in the room is the bedside lamp. "It's all in your head, Gao."

"That's nonsense!" Gao is getting frustrated now. "Tasuku, I've liked you long before you went missing!"

"I don't believe you!" Tasuku is at the window now. He has one foot on the sill, ready to leave. "I'll go far away from here, and you'll see your feelings are just an illusion. You'll forget me."

Gao doesn't want that. He knows he can't allow that.

Before Tasuku can jump off, Gao grabs onto his clothes and pulls him back in his panic. It results in flailing limbs and bodies tumbling together on the floor. Gao hurts his elbow, he hears Tasuku yelp, and then they both stay still.

Tasuku recollects himself and squirms to get up. But Gao acts fast and has his arms around Tasuku, pulling him back down to the floor.

"Gao! What are you doing?!"

"Tasuku, please…" Gao buries his face into the other's shoulder. "I don't want to lose you again."

"Gao…" Tasuku says his name gently. He feels a hand in his hair and knows that Tasuku's comforting him. "You… don't really mean that."

Gao pushes himself off the floor and brings himself over Tasuku's body, trapping the older boy on the ground. Tears are collecting in his eyes, and one drops onto Tasuku's cheek. Gao forces a smile. "I don't know what hurts more, Tasuku. The fact that you want me to forget about you, or the fact that you don't believe my feelings are genuine."

Tasuku's lips quiver. There's a regretful look in his red eyes. He forces a smile too, his white fangs gleaming, and says, "All I ever do is hurt you, huh?"

"Then stop pushing me away." Gao says.

The vampire beneath him trembles, letting out a shaky breath. He closes his teary eyes and slowly nods. "…Okay. Okay."

Gao grins wide. Tasuku looks up into his eyes and smiles as well, the worry finally leaving his face. He raises one hand to play with a strand of Gao's hair. "I hope you're ready, Gao."

The golden-eyed boy rubs his thumb against Tasuku's cheek. Tasuku relaxes into the touch, letting Gao caress him. He leans down and presses his lips softly on Tasuku's own. Gao pulls back and kisses him again, a little longer this time. He smiles.

"I'm all yours."


End file.
